He said despite the countrywide awareness drive, crackers bursting on the occasion of Diwali went on unabated, but claimed the appeal against bursting of crackers had a positive impact in Bihar.

“Crackers bursting on Diwali was almost less than half in Bihar than it used to be in the past. I assume the same must have been the situation in Delhi too,” Kumar said after inspecting Chhath arrangements during the morning Arghya.

Kumar stressed on creating mass awareness against the rise in pollution levels and said lighting up left overs after the reaping season in the fields of Punjab and Haryana robs off fertility of the soil and emphasised on mass campaign against the practise.

He also hit out at the NDA government over the one-day ban imposed on a Delhi-based news channel and a channel from Assam, saying it “reminds of the days of Emergency”.

“The basis on which this ban has been effected reminds the days of Emergency… this cannot be accepted in a democracy,” he said on the ban imposed.

He urged the Centre to immediately take back the decision (of ban), which has left a bad impact across the country.